# Victor Beltri

Víctor Beltrí Roqueta was a Spanish architect primarily known for the Art Nouveau buildings in Cartagena, Spain that made him into a prominent representative of Modernism in the region. He was born in Tortosa (Tarragona province) on 16 April 1862 and died on 4 February 1935 in Cartagena.

## Biography

Víctor Beltrí was born in Tortosa on April 16, 1862, the eldest of five children of José María Beltrí and Belilla Carmen Roqueta.
At 18 years old, he moved to Barcelona to study at the School of Architecture and the Official School of Fine Arts (now Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona [es]). While in Barcelona, Beltrí was also working to pay for his education. At the time (1880-1886), the first glimpses of the modernist movement were beginning to emerge.
After graduation in 1886, he returned to Tortosa, where he started to work as a professional architect. In 1890, he moved to Gandía, where he grew as an artist. The last and longest period of his life was split between La Unión and Cartagena, where he designed many buildings, becoming the greatest Modernist architect in the Region of Murci`a.
Beltrí arrived in Cartagena in 1895, when the city was being rebuilt after the Canton of Cartagena insurrection of 1873. The city at the time quickly expanding due to the wealth generated by the exploitation of lead and silver from the mines of Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión.
Beltrí died in the city of Cartagena on February 4, 1935. and was buried in the same city on the next day. Many years later his remains were moved to the Cemetery of Nuestro Padre Jesús in Murcia.

### Works

Many of Beltrí's works have been declared cultural treasures (Bien de Interés Cultural). He used all the typical modernist materials, including iron, ceramics, glass.

#### Works in Cartagena

Beltrí's first major work in Cartagena was the Casa Cervantes [es] (1897-1900, currently the headquarters of Banco Sabadell). Not only this building made him instantly popular among the Cartagena bourgeoisie at the beginning of the 20th century, but it also set the tone for current aesthetics of the historic center of Cartagena.
Major commissions in Cartagena included:
* Church at Barrio Peral (1896);
* Palacio de Aguirre (1898);
* Villa Calamari [es] (1900), also known as the Mansion of Versailles;
* Casa Maestre [es] (1906), inspired by Gaudí's Casa Calvet;
* Casas de los Catalanes (1907);
* Casa Dorda [es] (1910);
* Casa Zapata [es] (1910);
* Chalet palacete Del Conde de Campillos in Santiago de la Ribera (1912);
* Gran Hotel de Cartagena [es] (1912, no longer used as a hotel), the most representative work of modernism in the Region of Murcia. The six-story facade is made of artificial stone and red brick;
* Casa Llagostera [es] (1915), its entire facade is decorated with allegorical painted ceramic tiles;
* Fundición Frigard [es] (1918);
* Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor (1926);
* Casa de Misericordia [es] (1929).
Multiple other works include: the reconstruction of the Cartagena Cathedral, the old Regatta Club (disputed), the remodeling of the Cartagena Casino.

#### Works in La Unión

* Mercado público de La Unión [es] (1901). The "old" public market made of iron, stone and glass is one of the most significant works of modernism in Spain
* Casa del Tío Lobo, in Portmán (1913).

#### Works in Gandía

* Palacete París [es] (1908).

## Legacy

In preparation for the 150th anniversary of the architect's birth (2012), the Beltrí 2012 Commission was formed in 2008 to preserve the cultural legacy of Beltrí. One of actions was Cartagena City Council renaming the Ronda Norte into Avenida de Víctor Beltrí.

## Gallery

* Casa Maestre in Cartagena.
* Casa de Misericordia in Cartagena.
* Gran hotel in Cartagena.
* Mercado Público in La Unión.
* Casino de Cartagena.
* Antiguo Club de Regatas.
* Casa Tárraga in Cartagena.
* Casa Cervantes in Cartagena.
* Casa Zapata